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In most cases, this isn’t enough, and due to Apple’s practices (like enabling iCloud Photos and Mac Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud Drive by default), you will fill it up in a few days or weeks. You get 5 GB of free iCloud space when you create an Apple ID. It also offers storage options for your photos, videos, files, device backups, third-party app data, and more. Want to back up locally but hate Time Machine? Consider a Time Machine alternative instead.ICloud is Apple’s online service responsible for wirelessly syncing your data across your various Apple devices and the web. Your data is likely important to you, so make sure you take steps to protect it. But don’t abandon the tried-and-tested Time Machine just yet, since it might save you in the event of a cloud catastrophe. The service is fast and highly convenient, especially in the latest builds of iOS and macOS. The point isn’t to throw shade at iCloud. RELATED: Can You Upgrade the Hard Drive or SSD In Your Mac? Time Machine and iCloud Compliment Each Other Apple couldn’t recover the music, so who knows if the company can recover your media if something goes wrong? My iCloud Music Library emptied shortly after the service was introduced, which meant painstakingly adding albums and recreating playlists from scratch. It’s important to point out that it’s unlikely that iCloud will swallow your photo library, but it’s not impossible. On the “iCloud” tab select “Download Originals to this Mac” and wait for the download to complete (it may take a while). To do this, open Photos and click on Photos > Preferences in the top-right corner of the screen. This means you can’t roll back a project or document to a previous version if something unfortunate happens. To start with, only the most recent version of any files stored there are retained. ICloud has a few limitations that Time Machine does not. You can use this web interface to upload files that then appear on your Mac. Simply head to and log in, then click on iCloud Drive.
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You can even use iCloud Drive to access files on your Mac from a Windows or Android device. The Files app on iPhone and iPad means you can access your Documents folder or screenshots that reside on your desktop, wherever you are. What iCloud Drive on the Mac is especially good at is making your files available across all of your devices, and even the web. If you want to back your Mac up to the web, you’ll have to use a service like Backblaze instead.
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macOS simply won’t let you do so when you first set up the backup solution under System Preferences > Time Machine.
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Even if you pay for a hefty chunk of iCloud Drive space, you can’t use the service as a backup location using Apple’s Time Machine service.
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